A new report says Fairfax County leaders need to work on better determining the county’s deer population, explaining the need for deer management to the public and recruiting volunteers for deer-culling efforts.
Those are some of the suggestions made to the Board of Supervisors by the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) in its 134-page annual report for 2024.
While deer issues take up a relatively small portion of the document, issues surrounding deer management merit monitoring by county leaders, EQAC members say.
There remain “wildly different viewpoints” among the public about whether the county has an overpopulation of deer, and if it does, how to address the issue, according to the report.
Having better data sources would be helpful to support decision-making, EQAC said:
While estimates of population sizes and goals for deer reduction may be challenging to define, both the magnitude of the problem being addressed, and the effectiveness of the applied solutions, can be better understood and communicated with data. Being able to present a strong base of information will be a benefit in bringing along stakeholders in the effort to grow various management programs, both in staffing and funding.
Fairfax County is alone among Northern Virginia’s inner suburbs in having a government sponsored deer management program, although Arlington plans to implement one next winter and Falls Church is considering one.
There were 773 deer harvested in Fairfax in 2024 through a combination of archery and police sharpshooting. The total has declined from more than 1,000 deer in the mid-2000s.
Volunteer archers were responsible for 703 of the deer felled during the 2024 hunting season, up from 604 in 2023 but lower than most other years over the past decade. The 518 archers who participated in 2024 was the fewest in a decade.
“For the program to remain successful, it must continue to encourage volunteers to participate and offer programs that can educate experienced and novice hunters on best management practices to harvest deer populations safely and humanely,” the EQAC report said.
Volunteer archers operated in 113 county parks totaling 21,569 acres during the year. The EQAC report suggests that the county expand where culling efforts are allowed.
“Given that deer management only occurs on a small portion of the total acreage within the county, it is acknowledged that the coordination of hunting on both public and private lands will be necessary to effectively reduce overall deer densities to more sustainable levels,” the report says.
One way the Board of Supervisors could support the effort, the report suggests, is budgeting for an additional wildlife biologist staff position that would focus on public outreach for both deer management and other wildlife initiatives.
A public hearing on the annual EQAC report will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7:15 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Comment will be accepted in person as well as virtually, either live or through a recorded video. Written testimony also will be accepted through Jan. 8.
